Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday (27 February), said, before the end of 2024, Uttar Pradesh will have road infrastructure similar to the United States.
Earlier, Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of seven National Highway projects with an investment of Rs 6,500 crore in Chitbada village in Ballia in Uttar Pradesh.
‘The condition of roads in UP was not good before the year 2014. After the Narendra Modi government came to power, National Highway has increased from 7,643 km to 13,000 km in the state,’ Gadkari said.
‘Before the end of the year 2024, Uttar Pradesh will have road infrastructure like in America. The state is growing very fast and its picture will change with the development of roads. The villages and the poor will be happy and prosperous in the state. The youth will also get employment and UP will become the leading state in the country,’ he said.
The major projects which were inaugurated include upgradation of Ghazipur-Ballia-Manjhi Ghat Stretch on NH 31 and construction of Ballia Link Expressway.
On this occasion, Gadkari also announced the new connectivity route between Ballia-Ara through 28-km new spur road at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore and Gorakhpur Ring Road at a cost Rs 2,381 crore.
Ballia Link Expressway
The 116 km long Ghazipur-Ballia-Manjhi Ghat greenfield expressway will connect Ballia with Purvanchal Expressway.
With the construction of Ballia Link Expressway, it would be possible to reach Patna from Lucknow through Purvanchal Expressway in just four-and-a-half hours.
‘Ballia to Buxar can be reached in half an hour, Ballia to Chhapra in one hour and Ballia to Patna in one-and-a-half hour. With the construction of Greenfield Highway, eastern UP will get better connectivity with Chhapra, Patna, Buxar in Bihar,’ he said.
Ghazipur-Buxar Spur
The 17-km long link road will connect the existing Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh with Buxar Bihar at a cost of Rs 618 crore.
The Buxar spur connectivity is part of Ballia link expressway.
Construction engineering company G R Infraprojects has emerged as the highest bidder for constructing the first Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) of Madhya Pradesh.
The scope of the project includes the development, operation and maintenance of MMLP Indore near Pithampur, in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
The project will be implemented on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis at an estimated cost of Rs 758.10 crore.
Under the terms of the contract, the concessionaire will complete the project within two years from the Appointed Date and will operate the park for 45 years.
Earlier, in September last year, the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) had invited bids for the project. The financial bids were opened on 24 February 2023.
MMLP Indore is part of 35 logistics parks being developed under the first phase of Bharatmala Pariyojana.
Indore is one of the foremost locations selected for creation of an MMLP under this scheme. It is located at the crossroads of western and central India with good connectivity.
The commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh has been the hub of trade and commerce for western India, with a strong presence of industries such as iron and steel, chemicals and machinery.
MoU Signed
An MoU was signed between MP Industrial Development Corporation Limited (MPIDC) and NHLML on 16 September 2021 for the development of MMLP Indore.
The state government has already initiated the process of land acquisition of around 250 hectares of land in Pithampur with an aim to develop a fully integrated MMLP.
This state-of-the-art logistics park will fulfill most of its energy requirement through ‘green energy’ and is expected to generate 10,000 jobs.
Reducing Logistics Cost
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) is developing 35 MMLPs at some of the highest freight movement regions in the country.
These MMLPs are targeted to reduce logistics costs to 8-9 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Currently, logistics account for 14 per cent of GDP – making India far less competitive on the global stage.
Catering to 50 per cent of nations’ road freight movement, the MMLPs will maximise efficiency of goods movements across the country.
The NHLML, which is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is the nodal agency for implementing the MMLP projects.
The foundation stone of the country’s first MMLP at Jogighopa in Assam was laid in October 2020 and is slated to complete by 2023.
Hub And Spoke Model
By serving as logistics hubs, MMLPs are expected to enable a shift in logistics network from traditional point-to-point to hub and spoke model.
In a hub and spoke model, MMLPs act as centralised hubs for receipt and dispatch of goods to and from smaller locations called spokes.
Point-to-point model vs Hub-and-spoke model
Goods from companies (spokes) are collected at MMLPs (hub) transported over long distances to destination location through larger trucks/trains. At destination, another hub MMLP receives goods and sends them out to various nearby locations (the spokes) for consumption.
The MMLPs equipped with inter-modal facilities for freight handling, warehouses, cold storages, custom bonded area will provide one stop solution and reduce transportation costs, inventory handling costs and substantially resolve inefficiencies present in the logistics ecosystem.
Global Lithium supply is about to experience a new wave of disruption as Yichun city in China which accounts for around a 10th of the world’s supply faces sweeping closures due to environmental investigation.
Ore-processing operations in Yichun have been ordered to stop as investigators probe alleged violations at lithium mines, Yicai newspaper reported.
A month-long mining halt in Yichun would reduce lithium output between 8 per cent and 13 per cent, according to various analyst estimates, but it remains uncertain how long the immediate shutdowns will last.
Lithium Capital of Asia
Lithium is a vital element in electric vehicle batteries and Yichun city in Jiangxi province is known as the “lithium capital of Asia”. In 2021, the city produced 81,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate, more than a quarter of China’s total.
Jiangxi province is a big source of extra supply, from a lithium-bearing mineral known as lepidolite.
All lepidolite mining in Yichun aside from those by a state-owned company have been suspended, but refineries are still operational, Dennis Ip and Leo Ho, analysts at Daiwa Capital Markets, said.
Skirting Regulation
Extracting lithium from low-grade ore generates a lot of waste including tailings and lithium feldspar powder, all of which needs treating.
Global lithium prices soared to a record high last year as demand from China’s booming EV industry outstripped production. It’s the kind of high-profit, high-demand environment that typically encourages miners to skirt regulations in any commodity market.
Notably, this is not the first time that firms in this Chinese region have been put under environmental scrutiny.
In August last year, Yichun’s Environment Protection Bureau (EPB) ordered Yongxing Materials, Yichun’s leading lithium refiner, to suspend production following an official investigation into pollution of the local river, the Jin.
However, this is a much wider crackdown, and involves officials from central government departments including the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Divided House
The latest probe injects a big dose of uncertainty into a lithium market that’s seeing prices cool — bringing some relief to EV manufacturers — as more global output emerges.
According to the report, Beijing officials will mainly look at violations at lithium mines and seek to guide the “healthy development” of the industry. The probe will largely target those mining without permits or with expired license, it said.
“This supervision may mean that the inspection and control over lepidolite mining in China will be more stringent in the future,” said Susan Zou, analyst at Rystad Energy.
Haryana government has proposed to take up projects for elevated railway line in Bahadurgarh and Kaithal.
This was announced by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar while presenting the state budget for fiscal year 2023-24 in Chandigarh on Thursday (23 February).
The state already has an elevated railway line in Rohtak district which was the first of its kind in the country. Thereafter, the project for an elevated railway line in Kurukshetra city was taken up and is likely to be completed by December, 2023.
The state government will now appoint an agency to conduct the feasibility study and prepare detailed project report for the two new elevated projects which will be then sent for the approval of the Union Ministry of Railways.
Rohtak Elevated Rail line
The country’s first elevated railway track at Rohtak became operational in March 2021, almost three years after its formal launch.
The foundation stone of the 4.8-km elevated railway track project costing Rs 315.71 crore was laid in March 2018. It was slated to be completed by September 2019 but got delayed due to techno-legal issues and Covid-induced lockdown.
The city witnessed heavy traffic snarls due to closure of five level crossing on Rohtak-Gohana railway for movement of trains.
As such, to de-congest Rohtak city and reduce pollution level, the project of raising of Rohtak-Gohana railway line by constructing a separate elevated track along the existing railway line was contemplated and the same got approved by Railway and Haryana Government.
The elevated line eliminated all five-level crossing on Rohtak-Gohana railway line and also connected the city which was divided into two parts by the railway line.
Kurukshetra City Elevated Rail line
The foundation stone of 5-km-long elevated railway track in Kurukshetra city was laid in August 2019.
This elevated track eliminates all five manned level crossing on the existing Kurukshetra-Narwana line passing through the city.
Proposed elevated railway track in Kurukshetra city
At an estimated cost of Rs 246 crore, the project is being developed by joint efforts of Government of Haryana (Rs 136 crore) and Ministry of Railways (Rs 110 crore) respectively.
Benefits
According to the Ministry of Railways, the elevated railway tracks are comparatively safer as there is no trespassing on them.
In addition to this, the elevated railway tracks help eliminate heavy traffic woes across congested cities and helps in controlling the urban transportation chaos.
Many foreign countries including Japan, France, Germany use elevated railway corridors, which not only ensures prompt execution of work but also ensures human safety.
The state government has proposed to take up work on three new metro links for Gurugram in this fiscal.
This was announced by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar while presenting the state budget for fiscal year 2023-24 in Chandigarh on Thursday.
The Metro links announced are Rezangla chowk to the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) through Global City to Panchgaon in Manesar, and extension of Bahadurgarh Metro up to Asaudha to connect with the Haryana Orbital Rail Network and Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway
The CM, during his budget speech, also said that the construction of Delhi Metro’s Yellow Line from Huda City Centre to Old Gurugram may begin in the 2023-24 fiscal after approval from the union cabinet.
“I am happy to state that the long-pending Gurugram Metro project has been approved by the Public Investment Board of the Central government and once the Union cabinet gives the final approval, construction work of the Metro will commence in 2023-24,” the Chief Minister said.
Rezangla Chowk Metro
The Haryana Cabinet in October 2022 had approved the final Detailed Project Report (DPR) of metro extension connecting Rezangla Chowk in Palam Vihar and Dwarka Sector 21 station
According to the DPR, the spur metro will be 8.4 km long, of which 4 km will be from Palam Vihar to Sector 111 in Gurugram and the remaining 4.4 km will be from Sector 111 to Sector 21 Dwarka.
Rezang La- Dwarka Sec 21 Metro link
This entire route will have seven stations and will have inter-changes with the Blue Line of the Delhi Metro (Dwarka Sector 21), the Gurugram Metro Corridor (Palam Vihar Station), and the Airport Express Metro Corridor (IECC station).
Gurugram Metro
The proposed 28.8-km-long corridor, known as ‘Gurugram Metro’ project, from Huda City Centre to Cyber City via Old Gurgaon is expected to have 27 elevated stations, including a spur to the Dwarka expressway.
Dark blue line represents the rough alignment of the proposed metro corridor
As per the project’s DPR, the stations on the route are Huda City Centre, sector 45, Cyber Park, sector 47, Subhash Chowk, sector 48, 72 A, Hero Honda chowk, Udyog Vihar 6, sector 10, 37, Basai, sector 9, 7, 4, and 5, Ashok Vihar, sector 3, Bajghera road, Palam Vihar Extension, Palam Vihar, sector 23 A, 22, Udyog Vihar 4, Udyog Vihar 5 and Cyber City.
The project is proposed to have an interchange with Rapid Metro and the proposed metro extension project connecting Rezangla chowk to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.
The ropeway project at Yamunotri, one of the Char Dhams in the great Himalayas, is inching closer to reality.
This comes in the backdrop of the Uttarakhand government signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 23 February for development and operation of passenger ropeway.
The concession agreement for Yamunotri ropeway was signed between the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) and private firms, namely, S R M Engineering and FIL Industries Limited
Speaking after the signing of the MoU, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “Yamunotri Dham is crucial for our state and is recognized worldwide. It is an auspicious day for us today. With the ropeway, the journey (yatra) of the pilgrim will become easier and also reduce their travel time,” Dhami said.
The signing of MoU comes close on the heels of the project receiving clearance from the Ministry of Environment after a long delay. The Ministry of Environment and Forest has now transferred 3.8 hectares of land to the tourism department for the project.
Specification
The ropeway from Kharsali village to Yamunotri Temple in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand is being built under public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
Ropeway Location
The length of the ropeway, which comes at an altitude of 10,797 feet, will be 3.38 km (aerial distance) and will be developed at a cost of Rs 166.82 crore.
Around 1.78-hectare land has been identified for the lower terminal of the ropeway at Kharsali while for the upper terminal, 0.99 hectare land has been identified near Yamunotri Temple.
Based on Mono-Cable Detachable Gondola system technology, the ropeway will have a design capacity of minimum 500 PPHPD (person per hour per direction).
Necessity For Ropeway
Yamunotri is a part of Char Dham (along with Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath), the four most revered Hindu pilgrimages in the Himalayas.
The small mountain hamlet, with the Yamunotri Temple at its centre, attracts thousands of devotees every year and is the commencing point of the Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage (May to October), which proceeds from Yamunotri to Gangotri and finally to Kedarnath and Badrinath.
Lodged in a narrow gorge, close to the source of the Yamuna, the Yamunotri Temple is dedicated to Yamuna, the second-most sacred river after the Ganges.
Devotees either walk or ride a palanquin or a pony to reach the temple (around 3,233 m above sea level) from Kharsali in Janki Chatti, a steep trek of about 3 km that takes about 3 hours.
The ropeway project will reduce the travel time to just 15-20 minutes apart from offering a scenic aerial view of the stunning landscape dotted with icy peaks, glaciers and hot springs.
The ropeway will not just reduce the distance to the Himalayan temple but also save pilgrims, especially the elderly, from undertaking the arduous trek to reach it.
The Ministry of Steel intends to re-commence operations at Panna diamond mines in Madhya Pradesh from July this year.
These mines are managed by National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) Limited; the largest iron ore merchant miner in the country and a Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) under the ministry’s purview.
The Ministry has set a timeline of 15 June for obtaining environmental clearances and will start production from July 1, according to a report in businessline.
The NMDC mine stopped operating from 1 January 2021 as its environmental clearance ended on 31 December 2020. The operations came to a halt after the director of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) issued a letter to the general manager of the mine project, directing the closure of the excavation from 1 January.
Panna Mines
The Diamond Mining Project at village Majhgawan in Panna district commenced production of diamond in 1971-72.
The mine is located about 15 km from the Panna town and is the only mechanized diamond mine in the country. The project is equipped with an ore processing plant including a heavy media separation unit, an X-ray sorter for diamond separation, and a disposal system for the tailings generated.
Panna has more than 74 hectares of mechanised mining inside the protected area of Gangau Wildlife Sanctuary of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) which is spread over an area of 54,200 hectares across Panna and Chhatarpur districts.
With a capacity of mining about 84,000 carats of diamond per annum, over 13 lakh carat diamonds have been mined in Panna.
In FY21, the mines had achieved a production of 13,681 carats, while there was no production in FY22, as per the NMDC’s last fiscal annual report.
Sources said that about 8 lakh carats of diamond deposits still exist in the mines where about 200 employees and officials work. It also generates indirect employment for hundreds of local dwellers who have been severely affected by the closing of mines.
The State government had moved Supreme Court against the order of mine closure and the apex court in November last year allowed NMDC to continue diamond mining activities in Panna, after getting necessary environmental clearance.
The resumption of mining at the NMDC’s mine at Panna is expected to boost the diamond business.
The Uttar Pradesh government has made a big push for the metro network in the State Budget 2023, presented on 22 February.
The budget has made a special allocation for ongoing metro rail projects – Rs 585 crore for Kanpur Metro and Rs 465 crore for Agra Metro.
Similarly, the government has made a provision of Rs 100 crore for the implementation of metro rail in Varanasi, Gorakhpur and other cities.
The state already has operational metro networks in Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Kanpur and a new project is coming up in Agra.
The government is working on expanding the network in Kanpur and has planned to expand the services in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Jhansi Prayagraj, Ayodhya, and Mathura.
Agra Metro
The 29.4 km Agra Metro has two corridors with 27 stations.
The 14 km long first corridor between Taj East Gate and Sikandra is now under development. Up to 13 stations, including six elevated and seven underground, will be built along this corridor.
Agra Metro Map
The 15.4-km-long second corridor will be completely elevated and will have 14 stations between Agra Cantt and Kalindi Vihar in Agra City.
The work on 6-km Priority Corridor from Taj East Gate to Jama Masjid on Line 1 is going on at a rapid pace. It would have three elevated stations – Taj East Gate, Basai and Fatehabad Road along with three underground stations – Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Jama Masjid.
The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) will roll out the first metro train on the priority corridor by January 2024.
Gorakhpur Metro
The State Cabinet has already approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Gorakhpur Metro which entails Metro Lite (three bogie metro trains) on two routes in Gorakhpur at a cost of 4,672 crores.
The 15.14 km long Corridor 1 will be from Shyamnagar to Madan Mohan Malviya University of Technology and will have 14 stations. The second corridor will be from BRD Medical College to Nausad Square. Its length is 12.70 km.
Proposed Alignment of Gorakhpur Metro
The Public Investment Board under Union Ministry of Finance has already given its approval to the first phase of the Gorakhpur Metro lite project. The construction work is expected to start once the budgetary provisions are made available to the Corporation.
Metro Lite in Religious Places
The UPMRC is planning to introduce the ‘Metro lite’ services in tourist hotspots of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura.
In Mathura, the Metro services will connect Vrindavan and Govardhan Parikrama Kshetra.
Similarly, in Varanasi, the proposed service will connect all the ghats and important institutions like Banaras Hindu University (BHU). The Uttar Pradesh government is also planning to bring water metro service to Varanasi on the lines of Kochi water metro.
Apart from this, the proposed metro lite service will also cover areas falling within Panch Kosi and Chaudah Kosi Parikrama Kshetra.
To meet the government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) target of setting up 50 GWh lithium-ion cell and battery manufacturing plants, India will need close to $4.5 billion (Rs 33,750 crore), according to an independent study by the CEEW.
CEEW is Council for Energy, Environment and Water Research, a think tank in New Delhi.
The study titled ‘How can India indigenise lithium-ion battery manufacturing?’ has calculated the material and financial requirements required to set up lithium-ion cell and battery manufacturing plant under PLI scheme.
The analysis was based on the minimum manufacturing plant capacity allocated under the PLI scheme – 5 GWh and the total cost, including land acquisition, factory floor space, warehousing, and connecting utilities for setting up such a facility could lie between $325-450 million (Rs 2,437–3,375 crore).
Furthermore, these factories will be energy intensive, with a 5 GWh production facility consuming about 250 GWh annually.
The government has already allocated Rs 18,100 crore ($2.4 billion) under the PLI scheme — the National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage — to achieve a manufacturing capacity of 50 GWh of ACC and 5 GWh of “niche” ACC.
Indigenisation Blueprint
Energy storage technologies are expected to play a critical role in the decarbonisation of the electricity and transport sectors, which account for 49 per cent of India’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
These technologies significantly impact how we generate electricity and how we travel. Without an energy storage system, we will need to arrange balancing assets, like thermal or gas power plants, to serve loads during hours with limited renewable energy generation.
The CEEW study underlined that energy storage must be looked at as strategic infrastructure and recommends a three-pronged strategy for India to scale its battery cell manufacturing sector and become a trend-setter in the global battery manufacturing ecosystem.
First, reduce the cost of manufacturing through process changes. Second, change policy to manufacture and deploy energy storage systems. Third, take a strategic focus on research, development, and demonstration.
Continued enthusiasm for battery storage, particularly LIBs, across various applications is based on the cost competitiveness of such technologies. As such, India should focus on battery cell component manufacturing.
The study estimates that the share of active cathode and anode materials processing can be as high as 61 per cent. It can be achieved by leveraging the experienced chemical industry to manufacture these components for domestic consumption as well as exports.
In order to reduce the primary supply requirement for key minerals like copper, nickel, lithium, and cobalt, the study suggest that the government must focus on scaling up recycling infrastructure for batteries.
Given the absence or limited availability of key LIB-related raw materials in India and the evolving landscape of global supply chains, India should strategically develop a plan to secure adequate access to these raw materials to support its goals of indigenisation of the upstream battery value chain.
It has been alleged that IOC which was earlier importing LPG through the government-run Visakhapatnam Port was instead being made to use APSEZ’s Gangavaram Port, under an ‘unfavourable’ take-or-pay contract.
Context: State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was under attack last week from the Congress and TMC.
The attack came in light of IOC signing an initial pact with Adani Ports for using the Gangavaram Port for importing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), giving it preference over the Visakhapatnam Port.
Swarajya explains what is the controversy surrounding the public sector giant.
What has Mahua Moitra claimed?
Mahua Moitra who is a Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament alleged a “scam” in hiring of the port facility without a tender.
On 15 February, she tweeted the screengrab of a news report based on the investor presentation of the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ), in which the company had said, “MoU signed with IOCL for a take-or-pay contract at Gangavaram Port for building LPG handling facilities”.
What are the Congress party’s allegations on Adani and IOC?
Soon after, the Congress party on 17 February alleged that IOC was “being made to” import LPG from APSEZ’s Gangavaram Port, under an “unfavourable” take-or-pay contract.
“Now we learn that IOC, which was earlier importing LPG via the government-run Visakhapatnam Port, is instead being made to use the neighbouring Gangavaram Port and that too via an unfavourable ‘take-or-pay’ contract. Do you view India’s public sector simply as a tool to enrich your cronies? “, said a statement addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, issued by Jairam Ramesh.
What has been the IOC’s response on the matter?
IOC in an unusual move sent out a series of tweets on 16 February to clarify its position.
The public sector giant in its reply stated that it had only inked a non-binding MoU with APSEZ, and there was no take-or-pay liability or any binding agreement “as of now”, which is being seen as a rejection by IOC of Adani Ports and SEZ’s claim.
Ports Managed by Adani Group
“IOC has just signed a non-binding MoU with APSEZ till now ” it said, adding that “there is no take or pay liability or any binding agreement, as of now”.
Further, IOC stated that oil marketing companies (OMCs) do not invite separate tenders for hiring LPG import terminals, and instead take a call based on their evaluation of the facility’s infrastructure “for its suitability for catering to the nearest market at a reasonable cost”.
What is ‘take-or-pay’ contract?
Take-or-pay provisions are now fairly common in long-term offtake and supply agreements in the energy sector, a notable example being gas supply agreements.
In essence, take-or-pay provisions provide that a buyer must pay for specified quantities of energy (gas, for example) from a seller, even if the buyer is unwilling or unable to take such quantities.
At the most basic level, take-or-pay clauses require the buyer either to purchase and take delivery of certain quantities of gas, or to pay for the gas regardless of whether it takes delivery.
How IOC currently imports LPG?
Replying to Moitra’s tweet, IOC said it imports LPG at various ports, including BD Kandla, Mundra, Pipavav, Dahej (in Gujarat), Mumbai and Mangalore (in Karnataka) on West Coast and Haldia (in West Bengal), Vizag (in Andhra Pradesh) and Ennore (in Tamil Nadu) on the East.
Two more import terminals are coming up at Kochi in Kerala and Paradip in Odisha, which will be used in due course of time, IOC said.
The company in its reply said that LPG demand in India is rising rapidly, suggesting that LPG imports are expected to rise over the next few years. Therefore, OMCs are “constantly on the lookout” for new ports that make commercial sense, it said.
What is IOC rationale behind signing an initial pact with Adani Ports for Gangavaram Port?
Sharing details about the terminal hiring pacts on the east coast, the company said currently there are only two terminals near Vizag.
These are South Asia LPG (SALPG) – a joint venture of France’s TotalEnergies and HPCL and East India Petroleum Limited (EIPL) which is a private company.
“SALPG charges Rs 1,050 and EIPL charges Rs 900 as charges with lower capacity vessel unloading capability. EIPL facility has no captive connectivity to be used on continuous basis.,” IOC said.
Compared to this, APSEL has offered a price of Rs 1,050 for LPG import terminaling charges with facility of unloading of bigger vessels of refrigerated LPG directly, it added.
IOC said that the Gangavaram port will give an additional advantage compared to SALPG and EIPL as bigger vessels can be quickly unloaded. Such an arrangement will save freight and demurrage due to extra time for evacuation.
What will be the status of Visakhapatnam Port moving forward?
The Company rejected the claim that it was moving business away from government-owned Visakhapatnam Port, saying that port will “continue to be utilized, based on commercials”.
While IOC imports through Vizag Port is about 0.7 metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) of LPG, the proposed number for the new Port at Gangavaram is 0.3 MMTPA of LPG.
Availability of multiple import terminals at Vizag and Gangavaram will give operational flexibility, increase competition among terminal operators and also create opportunity of getting competitive rates, it added.
